Young siblings nabbed for theft

A brother and sister found themselves in trouble with law enforcement after stealing a wallet from a woman at a play area.

The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the McDonald’s play area at 2400 Geer Road.

The victim was watching her grandson play and noticed a 15-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy near her purse. The girl and the boy left and the woman checked her purse and discovered her wallet was missing.

The woman saw the pair walking along the sidewalk and drove up to where they were and accused them of taking her wallet. They refused to acknowledge her and continued walking away. About that time a man heard her trying to get her wallet back and began following the pair, according to the police report.

The siblings walked into an apartment complex on E. Minnesota, where the man stopped them and told them to hand over the woman’s wallet.

The 15-year-old punched the man in the chest and dropped the wallet as she and the 9-year-old took off running, said Turlock Police spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis.

The two were seen running into the Dollar Store on Geer Road and were quickly apprehended by officers on the search for them.

The two were cited for the theft and released to the custody of their parents.

The woman had her wallet returned. The man who helped her retrieve it was not seriously injured from the punch.